Knife sharpener



March 27, 1934. F J vlERLlNG 1,952,106

KNIFE. SHARPENER Filed June 27, 1932 62.6 A? orneya W Q 1 Patented Mar. 27, 1934 orlca 1,952,106 KNIFE SHARPENER' Application June 27, 1932, Serial No. 619,447 2 Claims. (01. 51--214) My present invention relates to an abrading device and has for its object the provision of an extremely simple and highly efiicient sharpener for knives and other tools having cutting edges 1 and more particularly bread knives, butcher knives and the like.

To the above end, generally stated, the invention consists of the novel devices and combinations of devices hereinafter described and defined in the claims.

In the accompanying drawing which illustrates the invention, like characters indicate like parts throughout the several views.

Referring to the drawing:

Fig. 1 is a side elevation of the improved knife sharpener;

Fig. 2 is a plan view of the same;

Fig. 3 is a view partly in side elevation and partly in section taken on the irregular line 3-3 of Fig. 2;

Fig. 4 is a view partly in end elevation and partly in section taken on the irregular line 4-4 of Fig. 1; J

Fig. 5is a transverse section taken on the line 5-5 of Fig. 3;

Fig. 6 is a' transverse section taken on the line 6-6 of Fig. 3;

Fig. 7 is a face View showing another form of abrading member, on an enlarged scale; and

Fig. 8 is an end elevation of the same.

The numeral '7 indicates a stamped metal base in the under side of which is a recess that affords a spring compartment 8. Pressed from the topof the base '7. is a pair of long raised beads that extend longitudinally of said base and afford a pair of rails 9 for a rectangular slide 10. This slide 10 is held for straight line sliding movement on the rails 9 by four depending guide lugs 11 which work in narrow slots 12 cut in the 'top of the base '7. These guide lugs 11, are integral with the slide 10 at the four corners thereof and their lower end portions are bent laterally under the top of the base 7 for engagement therej with to prevent lifting movement of the slide 16 from the rails 9 but with sufficient clearance to permit free reciprocatory movement of said slide. The guide lugs 11 by their engagement with the base 7 at the ends of the slot 15 limit the reciprocatory movement of the slide 10.

A depending lug 13 is cut and pressed from the top of the base 7, forward of the rails 9 and midway between the sides of said base. Formed with the slide 10, at the rear end thereof, midway between its sides, is a depending apertured lug 14 which extends through a longitudinal slot 15 cut from the top of the base 7.

A coiled spring 16 in the chamber 8 is anchored at one end to the lug 13 and attached at its other end to the lug 14. This spring 16 is under strain to move the slide 10 forward and normally holds the same in its foremost position.

A pair of holders 1'7 and 18 for abrading members are secured the former to the top of the base 7. forward of the slide 10, and the latter to said slide at the forward end thereof. The body of the holder 17 is in the form of an upstanding relatively narrow channel 19 that is inclined toward the forward end of the base 7 and the body of the holder 18 is in the form of two upright channels 20, each of which is like the channel 19, and which channels 20 are inclined toward the rear of said base. The channels 19 are laterally spaced transversely of the base '7 to provide clearance for the channel 20 which works therebetween during the reciprocatory movement of the slide 10.

Rigidly secured in each of the channels 19 is a relatively long abrading member 21 such as carbcrundum stone and similar .abrading members 22 are rigidly secured in the channels 20. A cross-tie member 23 rigidly connects the two. channels 19 near the upper ends thereof. It will be noted that the opposing faces of the abrading members 21 and 22 project materially above the sides of the channels 19 and '20, and hence, exposes large porticns'of said member for wear. The channels 19 and 20 which incline away from each other hold the abrading members 21 and 22 withtheir opposingfaces at'the desired angle to bevel the cutting edge portion of a blade X on both sides thereof to the proper shape and form a keen cutting edge. v

Normally, the abrading members 21 and 22 are crossed and form a relatively shallow acute angle between said abrading members at the upper end portions thereof. As the slide 10 is moved rearward this acute angle progressively deepens without changing the degree thereof, and hence, the bevelformed by the abrading members 21 and 22 on the blade X is always the same irrespective of the crossed relation of the abrading members 21 and 22.

The rearward movement of the slide 10 is such as to permit the abrading member 22 to completely separate from the abrading members 21 so that the blade X may pass completely therebetween. A relatively soft abutment 24 extending transversely of the base 10, under the abrading members 21 and 22, is rigidly secured to the top of said base to prevent the blade X from coming in contact with said base.

While sharpening the blade X the base '7 may be held on a suitable support by a handle 25 detachably secured to the rear end of the base 7 by a screw-stud 26 or by a pair of finger holes 27 on the sides of said base. In the top of the base '7 are two holes 28 for wood screws in case it is desirable to permanently secure the abrading device to a relatively fixed support.

Normally the spring 16 holds the slide 10 with the abrading members 21 and 22 crossed, as shown in Fig. 1. To sharpen the blade X the same is placed between the abrading members 21 and 22, held substantially perpendicular to the base 7 in which it divides the angle between said members, and thereby keeps the beveled sides of the blade X bi-symmetrical. With'the blade X thus held the same is moved endwiseback and forth and at the same time under sufficient downward pressure to overcome the spring 16 and thereby cause the slide 10 to travel slowly rearward which separates the abrading members 22 from the abrading members 21 and thereby progressively increasing the depth of the angle between the abrading members 21 and 22 Without changing the angle therebetween. It will thus be seen that the blade X is not only moved transversely of the abrading members 21 and 22 but longitudinally thereof.

' Preferably, each time the blade X is moved transversely on the abrading members 21 and 22 it is also moved longitudinally thereon so that the same produces a full longitudinal stroke on said members thus causing the same to evenly wear substantially the full length thereof. The abutment 24, which is of a relatively soft material, prevents the blade from coming incontact with the top of the base 7. After the blade X is once beveled to the same pitch as the abrading members 21 and 22 very little sharpening action is required to keep the cutting edge thereof keen. From the foregoing it must be evident that the invention herein disclosed is capable of large range of modification within the spirit of the invention herein disclosed and claimed.

Referring now in detail to the abrading member 29 shown in Figs. .7 and 8. This abrading member.29 isthe same shape and size as the abrading members 21 and 22 but is in the form of a block of hardened steel the cutting face of which is longitudinally serrated to form a series of miniature cutting blades 30, the cutting edges.

of which are in a common plane. This type of abrading member will out very fast but will not make as keen an edge on a tool as the stones 21 and 22.

What I claim is:

1. In a device of the class described, an elongated base structure of sheet metal including a bed portion and a downturned base flange pro viding a compartment beneath said bed portion, an elongated slide longitudinally movable on said bed portion lengthwise thereof, a pair of spaced upstanding abrading members rigidly supported on said base portion at one end thereof, a single upstanding abrading member rigidly supported on the slide at the end thereof adjacent said first abrading members, said single abrading member sloping from bottom to top toward the far end of said slide, said pair of abrading members sloping in the opposite direction and receiving said single abrading member between them, said base portion being formed with a slot therein coinciding with the vertical longitudinal plane of the device occupied by said single abrading member,

a lug depending from the said far end of said slide, said lug extending through said slot and into said compartment, and a tension spring housed within said compartment and caught at one end thereof on said lug, the other end of said spring being fastened to the base structure at a point near the end thereof occupied by said pair of abrading elements and in the said plane of said single abrading member.

2. In a device of the class described, an elongated base having a compartment beneath the top thereof, an elongated slide on the top of said base longitudinally movable thereon lengthwise thereof, a pair of spaced upstanding abrading members rigidly supported on the base at one end thereof, a single upstanding abrading member rigidly supported on the slide at the end thereof adjacent said first abrading members, said single abrading member sloping from bottom to top toward the far end of said slide, said pair of abrading members sloping in the opposite direction and receiving said single abrading member between them, guides on said .base and cooperating guiding elements on the slide at either side of the vertical longitudinal plane of the device occupied by said single abrading member, and a relatively long tension spring housed within said compartment, said spring being connect ed at one endto the base near the end thereof adjacent said pair of abrading elements and in the said plane of said single abrading element, the other end of said spring being connected with said slide in said plane and at a point remote from the single abrading member carried thereby.

FRANK J. VIERLING. 

